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Amid a continued crackdown to exert greater control over online communications, state officials have blocked access to the social media app Snapchat and imposed restrictions on Apple's FaceTime service, Apple FaceTime.

Stated Justifications for the Block

Russia's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor stated that both applications were employed to plan and execute terrorist activities within the country, to recruit perpetrators and engage in fraudulent activities as well as various crimes against citizens.

Roskomnadzor stated it enforced the restriction against Snapchat back on the 10th of October, though the move was publicly disclosed later.

Wider Campaign of Internet Control

This recent action come after similar restrictions targeting key apps like Google's YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. These measures of restrictions escalated following the 2022 military action of Ukraine by Russia.

Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have engaged in calculated and wide-ranging efforts to curtail the internet. Actions have involved:

• Enacting stringent legislation.
• Banning digital platforms that do not comply with local rules.
• Advancing systems to observe and control internet traffic.

Recent Examples of Crackdowns

Access to the YouTube platform was throttled previously in what experts called targeted interference by officials. Russian officials blamed Google for allegedly neglecting its servers in Russia.

Recently, authorities further restricted connectivity with extensive outages of cellphone internet connections. The government stated this was needed to thwart Ukrainian drone attacks, but experts argued a further measure to increase control over the internet.

Targeting Communication Apps

Regulators has also targeted widely-used communication apps. Encrypted messenger Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were blocked in this year. Furthermore, authorities outlawed voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, justifying the measure by saying the services were being involved in illegal activities.

Simultaneously, authorities have heavily pushed a so-called "national" messenger app called "Max". Experts regard it as a possible monitoring instrument. The service openly declares it will hand over data with the government if demanded, and experts note it lacks full encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Analyst Commentary

Per cyber security expert Stanislav Seleznev, regulations classifies any platform where users can message as an "information dissemination organizer".

This label requires that such services establish a presence with Roskomnadzor and allow the FSB with entry to communications. Those failing to do so are non-compliant and may be banned.

Seleznev noted that possibly many millions of users in Russia had been turning to FaceTime, especially after voice calls were prohibited on WhatsApp and Telegram. He described the blocking of the service as "predictable" and warned that other sites that do not cooperate with authorities "face blocking – that's obvious."

Entertainment Sites Too Affected

In a separate action, the authorities announced it was banning Roblox, stating the reason was child protection from harmful content. Per data from media monitoring group Mediascope, Roblox was the number two gaming site in Russia last month, with close to 8 million players.

Although it is still possible to circumvent some of these limitations by employing virtual private network services, such tools are frequently targeted by authorities as well.